Claimants of Universal Credit, State Pensions, Child Benefit, PIP and other benefits may be affected by changes due to the August bank holidays later month.
August 31, 2026, is a bank holiday where payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) won't be made. If you are due to receive a DWP benefit payment that day, you may find you receive it early - usually on Friday August 28.
If your payment is due on a different day, it will arrive in your account as normal and the amount you are due to be paid will remain the same.
When a payment date falls on a weekend or a bank holiday, then the Department for Work and Pensions says the claimant is generally paid on the working day before, but this can vary.
These are the benefits that may be affected by the bank holiday weekend:
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Child Benefit
- Disability Living Allowance
- Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Pension Credit
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- State pension
- Tax Credits
- Universal Credit
While you may be paid earlier in some cases, the money will also have to last you longer, as payment dates will return to normal afterwards.
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The DWP confirmed the early payment policy on its official website, stating: “If your payment date is on a weekend or a bank holiday, you’ll usually be paid on the working day before.”
While the amount being paid out will stay the same, experts are warning that the earlier date could throw off people’s budgeting, especially as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite.
The two remaining bank holidays for 2026 fall on Christmas Day and December 28, as Boxing Day falls on a Saturday this year.
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